Behind the Façades in France: What expats and the mainstream media (French and American alike) fail to notice (or fail to tell you) about French attitudes, principles, values, and official positions…

Monday, August 13, 2012

Paul Ryan Dissed for Lack of Foreign Policy Know-How; Obama Praised for "Learning what he knows in the Oval Office"

So Emily Bazelon dismisses Paul Ryan with the fact (among others) that the Wisconsin Republican "has no foreign policy experience" (thanks to Instapundit).

Of course, this is the kind of thing that Barack Obama routinely receives praise for. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, the New York Times was waxing lyrical about the Apologizer-in-Chief for this very feature (or lack of one).

The creator and commander of this diverse team is, of course, Obama himself. And I would go further than Mann and argue that he oversees one of the most centralized foreign policy operations in history — based principally on his brain power and intellectual self-confidence, not on knowledge or experience. Indeed, Obama was much more of a foreign policy tabula rasa than any of his subordinates. Sure, he briefly sat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But essentially he has learned what he knows in the Oval Office.

Barack Obama "has learned what he knows in the Oval Office" lionizes Leslie Gelb with obvious awe for the One's (unquestioned) "brain power and intellectual self-confidence" forming the basis of a foreign policy second to none.

But of course, Paul Ryan (thanks to Duncan for the House Budget Committee Chair's Chicago Club speech) has little to no brain power — as we learn from leftists' (incredibly well-thought-out) tweets — if indeed his skull contains a brain at all.

So, just in case the rule isn't clear yet, here it is:• when a Democrat has no foreign policy experience,it is an undisputed asset;• when a Republican has no foreign policy experience,it is an unqualified liability.

More generally, the more basic rule is that:• whatever a Democrat has or does not have (foreign policy experience, his or her length of service in the political world, practical knowledge of the business world, an account of his or her youth and background, etc etc etc) is an asset;• whatever a Republican has or does not have (idem) is a liability…Update: See a 2008 campaign example comparingBarack Obama with Sarah Palin:

Whatever the alleged lack of experience that the Republicans' choice for vice-president may have, it can hardly be greater than that of the Democrats' choice for chief executive — a man with only two years in the national legislature.